Changes
by Pen and Paper71
Summary: With the hardships of the past year, Phoenix has grown very distant. Iris knows she must act now or risk losing him. PhoenixIris. T&T and GS4 Spoilers. Oneshot.


A special thank you to Xero Wright for proofreading this for me. Enjoy everyone!

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Phoenix Wright.

Resting his head against the door to his apartment, Phoenix let out a deep sigh as he tried to release the disappointment and frustration he was feeling. It had been a year since that disastrous day in court which had cost him his badge and although he had his suspicions about that day, his investigation had made very little progress. This day had simply been another failure on top of all the others. He was still no closer to proving his innocence than he was that day.

Forcing these thoughts from his mind and pasting a smile on his face, Phoenix let himself into his apartment, half-expecting his daughter to be wide awake and running around despite the late hour. As all his friends knew by now, babysitting Trucy was no easy task. She was clever, stubborn, and often hyper. Maya had so far had the best luck with her because Trucy and Pearl tended to wear each other out. Iris had been released only a couple months ago and he hadn't planned on being gone all day when he asked Iris to watch Trucy. Although the two of them had met and interacted many times before, both before and after Iris's release, and seemed to get along well, this had been Iris's first time watching the young girl alone.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that chaos had not ensued in his absence. The only noise came from the dishwasher in the kitchen and the soft smell of cookies greeted him as he entered. Creeping down the hallway to his daughter's room, a genuine smile spread across his face as he watched the beautiful scene in the room.

Sitting on the bed together, Iris sat with Trucy, cuddled close so they could both see the book. As he watched, the pair took turns reading. Trucy would read a page, using her finger so as not to lose her place, and Iris would chime in to help with the harder words. Iris would then read the next page with Trucy's gaze fixated on the pages. They continued to switch off like this and Phoenix felt a wave of pride at how well Trucy was doing and how much she seemed to be enjoying the experience. Trucy had always loved being read to, but getting her to try reading herself had always ended in a fight until Iris had decided to help. Not wanting to disturb the pair, Phoenix continued to watch from just outside the door.

As the book came to a happy conclusion, Iris turned to Trucy and smiled proudly, ruffling her hair playfully. "That was perfect, Trucy. You read that like a pro. I couldn't have asked for more."

Beaming at the praise, Trucy jumped off the bed and hurried toward the large pile of books by her bed. "That was fun! Let's read another one, Miss Iris!"

"We've already read three tonight, sweetie," Iris laughed at the young girl's exuberance. "It's past your bedtime now. We'll read more next time I come."

Trucy's enthusiasm dimmed slightly at the mention of her bedtime. She quickly protested, "But I'm not tired! Let's read another book or play another game. Please, Miss Iris!"

Iris, feeling a wave of gratitude to Sister Bikini for her advise on dealing with children, adopted a firm but kind tone as she stood up and knelt beside the young girl. "Trucy, it is time for bed. You won't be able to have any fun tomorrow if you're tired. Besides, I think your dad said he was taking you to Kurain so you could play with Pearl. Don't you want to be well-rested for that?" Trucy started to protest again, but Iris quickly interrupted her. "No buts, young lady. Get into bed."

Not ready to give in yet, Trucy crossed her arms stubbornly and tried another approach. "Can't I wait until Daddy gets home? I always wait for Daddy!" she whined.

Iris hesitated a second, but was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Another excuse bites the dust." Taking Trucy's plea as his cue to enter, Phoenix walked into the room, attracting the attention of both Iris and Trucy.

Trucy squealed happily and ran across the room to him. With a big hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, Phoenix scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. "Did you two have fun today?" he asked, putting his daughter down on her bed.

"We had so much fun!" Trucy said excitedly, her eyes shinning as she spoke. "We played games, read books, and Miss Iris even taught me how to make cookies. They're so tasty. You need to try one, Daddy!"

He chuckled at her response. "I smelled them coming in and I can't wait to eat a few. I'm glad you had fun, sweetie. Maybe Iris will come babysit again."

"Really?" Trucy asked hopefully, her eyes darting over to Iris. "Will you come play with me again?"

Leaning over to kiss her forehead, Iris answered. "I can't wait. Maybe I'll even go to Kurain with you two tomorrow."

Happy with the answer, Trucy threw her arms around Iris's neck and hugged her. After a little extra coaxing, Iris and Phoenix finally settled Trucy into the bed for the night. Then together they crept out of the room and closed the door securely behind them.

Standing just behind Iris, Phoenix wrapped his arms around her gently and kissed her neck softly. A giggle escaped Iris's lips and she turned to face him, putting her arms around his neck and meeting his lips with hers. "I'm so happy you're back, Feenie," she murmured, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. "I was worried about you. Where were you, anyway?"

To Iris's surprise, she could feel Phoenix tense suddenly and pull away from her. "Does it really matter?" he asked her with a demeanor that was strangely different from the one he had in Trucy's room. His voice was still warm, but his eyes were distant and the smile horribly fake. A familiar pain ripped through her and her smile faded as she realized she was seeing this Phoenix more and more.

She could remember well when this distance had begun. Only two months after her incarceration during one of their visits, she had noticed the pain reflected in his eyes. She was certain it had never been there before, and in trying to discover the source of that pain, Phoenix finally confessed that he had been disbarred. Since that trial, he had grown progressively more secretive, refusing to confide in anyone. Even Maya and Miles were at a loss about what to do for him.

Not wanting to hurt him more by forcing him to face that pain, she pasted on her own false smile. "I guess not. Anyway, it's late and you must be starved. I kept dinner warm for you."

With a relieved sigh, Phoenix agreed and led the way into the kitchen. After a couple moments of awkward silence, Phoenix started the conversation again, relieving some of the tension hanging between them. "So, did Trucy behave herself tonight?"

"Yes, she was wonderful," Iris answered honestly as she wondered why she couldn't relax now that the awkwardness of the last few moments had fled. Perhaps it was the bitterness she could feel still lurking in his eyes or the wall that appeared every time she tried to get close to him, but she couldn't erase the unease she was feeling. "She's such a sweet girl. We had fun."

The conversation continued, but there was little substance to it. They talked about a number of things, but every time the conversation turned to him, Phoenix was quick to change the subject before they could get into any depth. At every topic change, Iris could feel the knot in her stomach grow bigger until she finally couldn't take it anymore. He may have been with her physically, but emotionally he kept a careful distance. She was losing him again and she didn't know how to stop it. The only thing she was certain about was that this couldn't continue anymore.

"Feenie, where were you tonight?" Iris asked quietly, so nervous that her voice trembled a bit.

Phoenix's eyes narrowed and his face tensed. "We already discussed this, didn't we? I don't see any reason to go back into it."

"No!" Iris cried suddenly, her outburst surprising not only Phoenix but herself as well. Her determination giving her a new strength, she took a deep breath and steadied herself. She wanted her Feenie back, and the only way to find him was to face his pain and not shy away from it simply because it was difficult. Firmly holding back her tears, she continued, "Phoenix, we didn't discuss and we have to. I know something is wrong. Please talk to me. This is important!"

The use of his real name instead of Iris's pet name for him shocked Phoenix enough to stop his protests for a moment as he considered his next move. He couldn't bear to see Iris so upset, but he also couldn't bring himself to tell her what happened. It was his problem and his alone. He wouldn't burden anyone with this, particularly not her. How could he ask the woman he loved to bear this pain when he could barely deal with it himself? He opened his mouth to repeat his denial, but the worry in Iris's eyes stopped him. "Iris, please listen to me." In an attempt to comfort her, Phoenix took both of her hands in his. "There's nothing to worry about, darling."

"Enough!" she whispered fiercely, forcing herself not to look away. She couldn't falter now. "Ever since your disbarment...ever since then, you've changed. Before, we could talk about anything. Now you can't even tell me why you're late. The secrets have to stop. Feenie, please..." her voice broke for a second as she choked back a sob. Her voice trembled as she continued. "Please don't close me out. I love you and I want to be there to support you, but I can't when you won't let me."

Silence fell between them as Phoenix thought about Iris's words. Not sure how to respond, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "I love you too Iris. Trust me darling, this is for the best. It doesn't involve you, and you don't need to know."

"If it involves you then it involves me, Feenie," Iris insisted, moving closer to him. Her composure started to break as the tears she'd been holding back finally broke free. "I love you and I want to help. If you're in pain, then I want to share that burden. You don't need to go through this alone."

Looking deeply into those beautiful eyes filled with love and worry, Phoenix felt a single tear trickled down his cheek. He had believed that by keeping everything to himself, he had been protecting her. But instead of making things better for her, he had ended up hurting them both. This was his chance to fix things. Standing up, he took her hand and led her to the couch in the sitting room. There, he told her everything that had happened in the last year, taking care to include not just events but also his feelings. It was nearly midnight by the time his story had concluded.

As he finished speaking, Iris put her arms around and kissed him softly. "Thank you for telling me."

Phoenix let out a small chuckle as he pulled her closer, "I'm only sorry I waited so long. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course," Iris responded brightly. Phoenix was surprised when Iris suddenly stood up and started to walk away from him.

Confused at her actions, Phoenix also stood up and called after her. "Where are you going?"

Iris paused, her strength and confidence still soaring from her success, and looked over her shoulder coyly. "I think that's probably enough talk for one night, don't you?"

"I guess," Phoenix answered carefully, still not sure where this was going.

Winking at him, she laughed, "Come to bed, Feenie. Trucy will never forgive us if we're too tired to play with her tomorrow."

A devilish smirk crossed his face as he followed Iris into the bedroom and closed the door behind them.


End file.
